Fewer new COVID cases. Tri-Cities deaths remain at 160

Just 23 new cases of confirmed COVID-19 were reported in the Tri-Cities area on Friday by the Benton Franklin Health District.

That’s down from 33 cases announced on Thursday and 46 announced on Wednesday.

No new deaths were reported in either county from complications of infection with the coronavirus.

The smaller number of new cases announced Friday brings the two counties closer to their goal of reopening public schools.

Over the past two weeks Benton County has had 190 new cases, and is working to get to 150 new cases to allow partial reopening of schools.

Preliminary data backdated to when symptoms appeared rather than when positive test results were reported showed the number of new cases in Benton County down to that goal, the local health district announced on Thursday.

However, some additional cases likely will be be added to that preliminary data.

Franklin County is down to 186 new cases reported over the past two weeks and is working toward a goal of about 72 new cases total in two weeks.

Total cases since the start of the pandemic in Benton County stand at 4,294 and Franklin County has had 4,082.

Total number of deaths from COVID-19 in the Tri-Cities area is 160. Benton County has had 113 deaths and Franklin County has had 47.

The number of people being treated for COVID-19 at local hospitals dropped by two on Friday.

Numbers of patients had spiked into the 40s late last week after remaining in the 30s for most of August.

The 32 patients being treated for COVID-19 on Friday accounted for just under 10% of the patients in Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser hospitals. It is one of the lowest percentages reported this summer.

Washington state

The Washington State Department of Health on Thursday reported 479 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and seven deaths.

Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are at 78,467 cases and 1,985 deaths, up from 78,009 cases and 1,978 Wednesday. Washington’s population is estimated at about 7.6 million, according to U.S. Census figures from July 2019.

Eighteen people with confirmed COVID-19 cases were admitted to Washington state hospitals on Aug. 22, the most recent date with complete data. Late March had two days with 88 people admitted, the highest numbers to date during the pandemic.

King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 20,519 cases and 744 deaths. Yakima County is second, with 11,112 cases and 250 deaths. Pierce is third with cases at 7,189 and 157 deaths.

Benton and Franklin counties continued to rank sixth and seventh in the state for numbers of cases, after Snohomish and Spokane counties.

Garfield and Wahkiakum have the lowest numbers, with case counts of fewer than 10 each.

On Thursday, Washington had a 1,035-per-100,000-people case rate. The national rate is 1,935, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Louisiana has the highest rate in the United States at 3,345. Vermont is lowest at 265.

There had been more than 6.39 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 191,612 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Thursday evening, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 906,000 people have died from the disease worldwide.

Craig Sailor of The (Tacoma) News Tribune contributed to this report.